Help with cooking a goose please!

~Chameleon~

I found this thread after searching "roast goose" on this board and although it has lot's of ideas and suggestions for serving roast goose, I couldn't find the answer to my questions

First of all, I've bought a frozen goose from Aldi - £20 for 4.8kg bird - so they've obviously gone up in price this year

It doesn't have any instructions on how long it will take to thaw in refrigerator/cool place - well it does, it just says 'defrost overnight in refrigerator' but even I know a bird that size will NOT defrost in a refrigerator overnight!!!!! :rotfl:

Also, is that likely to be the 'frozen weight' i.e. inc water/ice, or will it still weigh 4.8kg once defrosted?

And finally, can anyone direct me to cooking times/temps please?

Cheers :beer:

This will be the first time I've ever cooked a goose and I'm terrified already! _pale_

Oh, just thought, will I be able to 'syphon off' enough fat during cooking to use for roasting spuds in or do I need to buy an extra jar of goosefat too?

Pink.

Hi chameleon,

For a goose that size I give it 12 hours sitting in a cool room in the house and then a further 24 hours in the fridge to make sure it's defrosted thoroughly.

That will be the frozen weight and it will weigh less once defrosted but if you're planning on stuffing it, it will bring the weight back up again.

To cook goose I always follow Delia's timings. Dont forget when calculating the cooking times to weigh the whole bird including stuffing. You will have more than enough fat to do the roasties and probably some left over. Any extra will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

Don't be terrified of it........just think of it as a large Sunday roast. I hope you enjoy it.

Pink

~Chameleon~

That's great Pink, thanks very much :A :beer:

competitionscafe

Some goose tips here:
http://www.waitrose.com/food/cookingandrecipes/cookinglibraries/tipsandtechniques/0112091.aspx
(I wouldn't wash it first though, I never do with poultry as the heat will kill the nasties and washing it is more likely to spread them around via splashing)

And some goose recipes here.

I have always wanted to try one of these:
http://www.seldomseenfarm.co.uk/3br.htm

Goose fat is also great for basting turkey or chicken to keep it moist. :cool:

hotcookie101

Thanks
I did a very bold (as in naughty, not brave), non-OS thing, when I went to our lovely local award winning sausage shop, I asked them what sort of stuffing for goose, and bought some pork, plum and cognac-it came very highly recommended! I know I am SO lazy, but never made a sausagemeat stuffing, despite all your wonderful advice, and cost wise was only a little more expensive than their sausagemeat :cool:
There is a lot of it-about 500g, and it has ended up we have the goose between just 3 of us, due to guests being ill I did freeze it and have defrosted it now-should I cook it in the goose, or separately in little balls?
I am planning on doing goose like this with roasted spuds, carrots and parsnips. Can I use the giblets for the stock/gravy along with the neck do you reckon or should I just fry them up for a lovely dinner for the cat?
Also-leftover recipes? See above-only 3 of us, and expecting a 4.5kg goose :eek::eek:

bing0

Simple stuffing for goose:

2 x cups fresh breadcrumbs

1 x cup coarsley chopped onions

a handful of chopped parsley

a cup of cooked pearl barley

a good sprinkle of white ground pepper

1 egg yolk

mix everything together and 'get stuffing'

by using the pearl barley,this soaks up some of the goose fat

the combination of this with everything else

gives you that melt in the mouth stuffing

naomi234

I have just been given a wild canadian goose yesterday, and plan on cooking it today. It is already plucked and cleaned, I just don't know what to do with it, any recipe ideas as what to do with it or how to cook it, would be very helpful, as I have heard wild goose can be very lean and doesn't roast vey well.

Hootie19

oooh oooh oooh - a goose thread! Yay :j:j:j

DS2 has requested goose for Christmas dinner this year. Something different - we've never had it before. We usually have a three or four bird roast.

Does anyone know if Aldi or Lidl are doing their geese (previously mentioned in this thread) this year. We have both stores in our general area, but I don't want to make a special journey only to find they're not available this year.

Or would I be better off finding a local farm shop to see if I can get one there (believe it or not, I cannot think of a single butcher in our area - the supermarkets seem to have culled all our local independent shops :mad:). There will be five of us on Christmas Day to eat, so I don't want anything huge (especially if we end up not liking it!!), which is why I only ever buy a turkey crown if we're having that.

naomi234

I have tried frozen free range goose and it was delicious, but just not sure about wild goose. I would go ahead and have it for xmas lunch. Enjoy

Hootie19

I've just spoken to a friend who told me that her butcher is doing goose this year. It's £4.99 per lb. If I want one, I'll have to go over and order it asap

I've no clue about goose, honestly! How small do they get? How big a bird would I need to get enough meat for 5 adults - who all would mainly prefer breast meat, if it's anything like turkey. Is a fiver per lb a reasonable amount to pay?

TIA